Ethical Dilemma

Here's a true story I heard recently that offers a valuable lesson for all of us artists dealing with galleries.

A woman came in to a gallery and really liked a particular painting by a local artist. But instead of buying it, she went home, googled the artist's name, found her website and contact info, and called the artist to ask if she could purchase the painting directly from the artist. I'm sure she thought she could get the painting for a lower price because they were cutting out the middle man -- the gallery. 

Wisely, the artist very politely thanked the woman for her interest and then equally politely told her that all sales needed to go through the gallery. The potential buyer never returned to the gallery to buy the painting. So in being honest, the artist (and the gallery) lost a sale. But what would the artist have lost if she'd gone the other way?

Obviously, if the gallery had found out about it, she probably would have lost her chances of ever selling in the gallery again. Gallery owners do talk to one another, so she may also have lost her reputation, at least in the general region where she lives. And in gaining the reputation among collectors as someone who is willing to undercut the price of her work, she might have also destroyed the long-term monetary value in her work. That seems like a lot to lose for the price of one painting.

What do you think? Did she make the right call? Have you ever been faced with an ethical dilemma?

New Year, New Projects

Hey, everybody! It's been ages since I last blogged. The reason I haven't been blogging is that I started doing a little part-time work with the gallery that represents me, Greenwich House Gallery. I'm having such a blast, and I have to say, I'm learning by leaps and bounds. If you ever have a chance to work in a gallery, even just occasionally or for a brief time, do it. I really had no idea how much goes into running a gallery until I went behind the scenes, and it has helped me understand how I can improve my chances of success with art sales.

In my next couple of posts, I'd like to tell you about some of the things I've learned about how artists can build better relationships with their galleries, but for now I just want to ask a question:

If there's one thing you could tell your gallery representatives about what you want or expect out of the gallery relationship, what would it be?

PS These two new paintings are for a group show starting February 11 at Greenwich House called Romantic Landscapes: Now and Then.

Gallery News

I just wanted to share some great news with you about a couple of new galleries. First, there is a new gallery opening in the O'Bryonville area of Cincinnati called Greenwich House Gallery. I'm very proud to be represented by this wonderful and spacious new gallery, so I'll let you know when the official opening happens. It should be sometime in the next month or so.

If you happen to be in Union Square in Manhattan, there's an exciting new gallery there, too. The Sankofa Gallery is a beautiful space right on the square, featuring exquisite work by painters Sam Adoquei, Jeanette Christjansen, Usha Sharma, Musette Morgan, Cidny Klein, and Nao Otaka. As you may recall, Sam recently published a truly thoughtful and inspiring book for artists--How Successful Artists Study--so now you can see even more of his work and that of several other talented artists. Find out more at http://www.sankofagallery.com/.